Oliver Wendell Holmes said, and I paraphrase, “paying taxes is the price of civilization.” Our high tax levels are directly connected to the cost of living in this region and the cost of labor which performs the services. If people want lower taxes, they will have to accept the consequences of layoffs and, as in the case of Yonkers, a cutback in sanitation. If one wants less garbage pickups, less fire and police protection, and a deterioration of our infrastructure, cut back on government, plain and simple. I often ask my conservative friends, what are they willing to give up. Is it the environment; clean air, clean water? Is it our schools? Few have any answers. The “Tea Party” adherents are long on patriotism, long on complaints, and for sure, short on solutions. Why don’t they take voluntary cutbacks from their compensation, their healthcare benefits and their social security and Medicare reimbursements?

Recently there have been a spate of “know-nothing” letters to the editor One that came to my attention was, the July 8th, letter to the editor, “Political quackery was ruining our nation.”  The author’s assertion that President Obama was not elected with enough of a percentage of the 300+ million Americans is absurd. In a democracy, and especially one that cherishes free speech, every crack pot has a right to make a fool of him/herself. His claim that all the people that are running for office are, “buffoons, hacks and bottom feeders,” is patently ridiculous and inflammatory rhetoric. Who in a free country should decide other than the individual themselves to run and the people who carry petitions and support that person in a free and open primary or general election? Talk is cheap, we hear it for free every day, let’s hear some new ideas, not any more libertarian flummery.